Real Reality for Manuel Pellegrini

As was to be expected, it seems that Real Madrid’s President Florentino Perez, in consultation with Jorge Valdano, is calling all the shots and deciding which players to buy and will, in all probability, which players to sell. Transfers will be made and handed to the coach to do his magic with them.

There is no such indication that Manuel Pellegrini is the man in charge of shaping the team for the next season. Even Jorge Valdano has admitted recently that Pellegrini wasn’t conferred with about Cristiano Ronaldo.

Every coach has his style and fields players according to his sporting philosophy. There can never be a guarantee that best players will fit into a coach’s strategy and his way of playing soccer.

Real presidents seek glory selfishly only for themselves. Coaches are considered merely pawns, and so expendable, to be discarded when the sporting and/or political utility runs out or to dump blame on them.

If such practices continue to be adhered to at Real, with nothing to suggest otherwise, then what respectable coach would want the job only to be fired if success does not come immediately.

At Villarreal, Pellegrini successfully managed to play beautiful soccer and go further than Real in Champions League, when the team qualified, with very little financial resources that he had which in turn goes to show that there is more to it than having deep pockets and big names.

If Pellegrini does not decide about players then how can he be expected to make them perform on the soccer field? How will he be held accountable for the performance of signings he didn’t’ recommend or make?

It MUST be up to Pellegrini to advice on transfers so he could cast the team in his own mold.